Part 3 - Moving with the Times: Railway to Fortune

Growing Jobs and Businesses

According to federal sources, since 2010, in anticipation of the opportunities the opening of the new Silver Line will bring, 4200 new residents have moved to Tysons Corner, bringing the town’s permanent, or so-called “night time” population, to somewhere in the vicinity of 24,000. Despite the city’s higher than average cost of living – Tysons comes in at 140.4, as opposed to the national average of 100 – city planners fully expect continued growth over the next couple of decades, and are projecting that by 2050 Tysons Corner will be a “walkable, sustainable urban center” supporting 200,000 jobs and a permanent population of 100,000. This will effectively transform it from a so-called edge city into a 24-hour urban center where people engage in all aspects of life, work, and play.

Even before the opening of the Silver Line, the population of present day Tysons Corner would swell in the daytime by 3 or 4 times to around 100,000. The current figure is certain to be higher; of the roughly 15,000 people using the five new Metrorail Silver Line train stations during week days, between 5000 and 7000 – almost half – are ending up in Tysons Corner, and local businesses are noticing. In less than a month, retailers in the local Tysons Corner Center mall reported double digit increases in sales numbers. Even before the opening of the Silver Line, Tysons Corner Center was already drawing 55,000 shoppers every weekday. With the opening of the new train lines, companies can look forward to increased sales and business.

Tysons Corner is already the 12th largest employment center in the United States. With the completion of Phase II connecting the area to Washington Dulles International Airport in 2018, the current daily influx of approximately 80,000 people into the Tysons area is sure to see a boost from an appreciable portion of the 60,000 passengers passing through IAD every day. Already improvements to city roads and infrastructure are in some stage of planning or construction, a testament to the city’s determination to live up to its vision of the future.

Companies that aim to be part of that vision are getting a foot in the door right now. It’s the only thing to do.